It’s finally beginning to feel like the first signs of fall are underway.  The weather in Chicago is not smoldering hot,  the final “final” sale racks at retailers are almost empty with leftover summer clothing and a trip to Target is more hectic than usual with kids buying their back to school supplies.

I’ve been contemplating my Fall wardrobe and slowly but surely planning everything out.   The catch is that I’m not going to be buying much of anything this fall and I feel like I’ve already gotten everything that I set out to buy.   I’ve been planning on cutting down my fall wardrobe drastically.  I’ve bookmarked an article in the New York Times about people who are making an effort to have a more minimalistic wardrobe and put an end to the conspicuous consumption.   While I’m not necessarily going to pare my wardrobe down to 6 pieces, I am looking to only have a few key pieces and accessories for the Fall/Winter and use what I already have.  My goal is to make this a complete lifestyle change.

So what is a better way to hold myself accountable?  Documentation, my friends, is everything.

I began this season with shoes as I was pretty sure of what I wanted to buy this season: 1 pair of boots, 1 pair of oxfords and 1 pair of flats.  I began a passive search a couple of months ago, but it wasn’t until pre-fall sales started popping up in my inbox that I was able to really capitalize and get what I wanted for a reasonable price.    After receiving an email from Steve Madden with a great sale price on their fall shoes, I decided to buy 2 pairs of shoes from their store.  I have not bought anything from Steve Madden in a long, long time and I remembered it was because the fit could be quite unpredictable.   So I decided to go ahead and give them a try.

I’ve been looking for a nice pair of oxfords for the longest.  I knew I wanted a them in a nice, brown color.   The verdict is still out on these since I’ve only put them on once.  They are a little narrow, so I want to see how they will fit once I break them in more.   I plan on doing a lot of walking in these shoes, so comfort is key.

The boots!  I think I’ve become obsessed with finding the perfect “granny” or “combat” boot.  I wrote a past last winter about finding a perfect pair of boots and while these are not among my wishlist candidates, they will do.  The price was perfect and I while it might sound like a weird detail, I love the larger laces.   I was happy when I opened this pack until my mom had to burst my bubble with:

“Wait, didn’t you buy a similar pair of these shoes last winter?”

“Um…I don’t think I did…”

“Look in your closet and see.  You bought them at that huge, loud store (Zara) and you got all giddy about those, too!”

So I went home and put the shoes side by side.

Well damn.  Well, I can say that the Zara boots are taller and they have a zipper on the side.  Plus, I see the Zara boots as more “combat” style and the Steve Madden boots as “lace up” style.   Could that be right?

The only other thing I’d like to find is a nice, durable pair of flats.  I mostly wear flats year round and I buy 1 good pair each year.  With these purchases, I also bought a pair of Delman flats, but they were way too narrow.  So the search continues…

Have you bought any new shoes for fall?  Any shoes on your wishlist?